[Martinjlm]

Originally Posted by 90503

The part I'm confused/surprised about is the cord itself...lol

At a charging station you must use their cord.

If you charge at home you have it set-up for your own vehicle.

Why would you need to carry a cord at all?

Good question!

At home you can use an installed wall charger (or post if it’s installed outside). It’s low power, typically 6.6 - 11.5 kW AC and it has the cable attached. Done.

On the road you can access Fast Chargers. They are DC, not AC. They operate at high power (50 - 350 kW). Cable is attached. Done.

Now suppose you are going on a trip and staying at a place that will allow you to plug in, but doesn’t have a charger. Most EVs come with or have available a travel set, or mobile connector. These can plug into any 110V or 220V outlet. There are also a number of parking garages that have 220V plug outlets, but no installed charger. In any of these cases, a mobile connector can be plugged in to charge the car at low power, like a Level 2.

Best real world example I can give…I flew to Ft. Lauderdale for a conference a few months ago. Parked the Tesla at a lot near the airport. In several parts of the lot they had 220V junction boxes. I used the mobile connector to plug the car in and it stayed there for 3 days. When I got back I just unplug, put the connector back in the car and move on.

Some EV owners choose to NOT install a wall charger. They opt to use the mobile connector at home, plugged into a 220V line. Takes longer to charge than an installed unit, but if you are charging overnight it gets the job done.